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Ten best documentaries

Do you guys ever watch documentaries? My friend Scott and I have a monthly documentary club, and I thought I'd share ten of my favorites that we've seen over the past couple years. I'd highly recommend them all...

Surfwise tells the story of the Paskowitz couple, who drops off the grid to drive their nine kids around in a camper and surf all day.Food, Inc. examines the American food industry and corporate farms. Not for the squeamish! (P.S. We've bought only organic meat and dairy since watching this.)My Kid Could Paint That looks at the runaway success of a four-year-old girl whose paintings are compared to Picasso. But is she the real artist?Man on Wire is a documentary about a wild French tightrope walker and his jaw-dropping (illegal) stunts.Mad Hot Ballroom follows an adorable group of New York City fifth graders taking a ballroom dance program.Deep Water tells the gripping story of an amateur sailor who (insanely) enters a solo race around the world.The Up Series is a series of incredibly compelling documentaries that have tracked the lives of fourteen English schoolchildren since 1964, when they were seven years old. Every seven years, the filmmaker releases a new documentary that checks in on their increasingly varied lives. (They're now 53!)American Teen follows five high-school seniors--a jock, princess, heart-throb, geek and misfit--in a small Indiana town.Autism: The Musical chronicles five autistic children as they rehearse for a musical production.Stranded lets the survivors of the famous 1972 Andes plane crash tell their story of survival.

Joanna, you must watch The Cove!! I'm sure you've heard of it by now, about the Japanese covertly slaughtering tens of thousands of dolphins a year, then serve the meat in schools (mislabeled as whale meat)...but the dolphin meat has so much mercury in it, that it'll end up killing a person!This documentary is kind of like an Ocean's Eleven, where the team of dolphin advocates tells their stories and goes undercover to expose this horrible occurrence that takes place in a cove in Japan every year.Must watch!!

My favorite is "Ghengis Blues." It's about Paul Pena, one of America's greatest musicians (that is incredibly overlooked and forgotten about), and his journey to find his place in the world. Unbelievable, and totally heart-wrenching.

I loved The Endless Summer, a 1966 documentary about two California guys who go around the world looking for the perfect place to surf. It's got breathtaking footage, fun music and some great 60's cheeseball moments!.

I loved the autism documentary! Have you seen No Impact Man, Joanna? It's about a NYC coiple on their journey to leave zero impact on the environment. It tracks their lives for a year...they even turned off their electricity!!

i am proud to say i've watched 5/10or maybe i should be ashamed as my procrastination has reached new levels. either way, i loved 'by the people' the obama doco, and michael moores 'capitalism: a love story'.

Babies was ridiculously cute. But, I was a little bummed that beyond it being cute, there wasn't much to the movie. I mean, it shows the difference in parenting between the four countries, but nothing insanely shocking besides the levels of protection and cleanliness. But man, was it CUTE. I want a Mongolian baby now. Though Billy thinks the Namibian baby was the cutest. haha!

I love documentaries! You must see our daily bread--unser taglich brot (2005). no dialogue just amazing footage of food industries. VERY interesting. Great visuals. Predates food inc, which I haven't seen yet--on my list!

Also have to recommend helvetica. That one is a hoot! A documentary about a font. But it's quite funny.

And recently saw: mumbai disconnected --cool one about infrastructure in india, and global issues.

Hope you can fit some time in for documentaries in the next couple of weeks! Good luck!!

Excellent post, thank you. I can't wait to see some of these. I have already seen and loved American Teen.

Stephen Fry's BBC documentary about his struggle with bipolar disorder is very interesting and attracted a huge amount of publicity in the UK. I've no idea how well known he is in the US though! He's a great writer and the programme is really excellent, I recommend it.

oh, my, i need to add some of these to my hold list at the library...also love, spellbound and king of kong, but my all-time favorite is definitely born into brothels - heartbreaking and sad, but beautiful in its own way.

Jake and I saw "exit through the giftshop" at that theater on east houston (sunshine cinema?) it is amazing! It was created by the british street artist, banksy. It is still in the theaters, you should totally see it. Another grafiti/street art is "style wars" it's early 80s in NYC.

Oh I loved Jesus Camp, too. It follows a Pentecostal children's minister and her methods of reaching kids in churches. It's a little scary and she describes it as raising "soldiers in God's army." Takes you on a tour of the far-right evangelical movement and fundamentalist brainwashing. I'm glad my faith isn't so black or white any longer!

Wow--I'm adding so many of these to my netflix queue. Two favorites of mine that come to mind: Word Wars (about scrabble competitions) was hilarious and touching; and Capturing the Friedmans was so engaging. We couldn't stop watching the special features extra footage and it provoked conversations for weeks following about guilt and the power of suggestion... all kinds of good stuff.

love murderball and man on wire, and anything about the holocaust, but you have to see Dear Zachary. A friend makes this movie about his best friend's son so the son will know his father (father is killed). Big twist at end. Put it on your list, seriously.

He did a bunch of fantastic one's in the 1990's of which: 'Eunach's: India's third generation', is my favorite! Made for the BBC.

Though it's been 18 years since I first saw it, it still has an affect on me when I think of it. It is so moving and intimate....I love it so much that I still hold onto my dusty old videotaped copy of it.

Yes definitely to Mad Hot Ballroom and Seven Up. I haven't seen any of the others. My favourite documentary series is House of Chanel. It follows a couture collections being produced but focuses on the team of seamstresses who work for Chanel. So good, I have watched it repeatedly. More recently I loved The September Issue and The Business of Being Born.

I love documentaries and some these I haven't seen! I love the Endless Summer films, and I recently watched 180 South at a film festival, which was mesmerizing. Also, A Walk to Beautiful about women in Ethiopia will make you cry, but its so good!

great list! i took a documentary film class in college so i got to see a few that maybe i would have otherwise never heard of. my favorite, hands down, is "man with the movie camera" amazing, if you've never seen it, i highly recommend :)

"food inc" is a must see for everyone! and if you are really into animal welfare, "earthlings" will change your life. it's brutal to watch but has a good lesson... and it's free to watch on the website.

Have you seen 'Crumb?' I feel like everyone I know who's seen it has really been amazed and moved by the weirdness of the cartoonist R. Crumb's family & life. Also, 'Encounters at the End of the World' by Werner Herzog is kind of an unconventional documentary but it is hilarious and weird and mesmerizing and I loved it.

what a good list. please compile one with your reader suggestions! i love "how to draw a bunny" and the flaming lips doc and the shelby adams one about how to take a picture. let me know what you think!

Wow, great list! A few others I've enjoyed are: "A Man Named Pearl" http://www.amannamedpearl.com/ and "The September Issue." I've also seen many great ones at the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour.

Ooh, thanks for the recommendations! I've only seen a few of these, adding the others to my Netflix queue. Most of my recommendations have already been covered in others' comments, but I'll additionally recommend Winged Migration and Vernon, Florida (you should wiki this Errol Morris doc - the originally intended story was completely different from the documentary Morris ended up making - the back story is as interesting as the odd documentary itself).

Wordplay is a fantastic, funny look at the New York Times crossword puzzle and the people who master it daily. Gives really cool insight into how puzzles are made and also showcases random New Yorkers and various celebs who enjoy the Times crossword.

I have to second the recommendation that people watch Capturing the Friedmans. It is slightly disturbing at times, but absolutely fascinating. It's about a family in Great Neck, NY and what happens to them when the father and one of the sons get accused of molesting some of the neighbor children. It is crazy.

There's this incredible (and very, very non-partisan) documentary about senior citizens in Maine who have made it their mission to greet every plane coming in from Iraq. It's called "The Way We Get By." I'm also a documentary lover (and have seen many of the ones on your list) and this is one of my favorites. I also really love "Born Into Brothels."

Young at Heart! It's a documentary about older folk that are in a choir that sings rock music. The spunk that these people have is amazing for any age, let alone in their 80s. It's a heartwarming flick.

i'd also like to recommend a couple of documentaries i really enjoyed. first, tapped. it's about the bottled water "market" (conspiracy) and the world water crisis. it's kind of a scary, sad film because of how in-your-face real it is. very enlightening though, for anyone who is unaware of the current issues surrounding bottled water.

second, the art of the steal. this one is really tragic, but i think that everyone should see it because it shows just how powerful corporations are, and how unaware the public usually is... so watch the trailer. :)

Anvil: The Story of Anvil- A heartbreaking journey of a metal band who influenced a generation of musicians but who could never quite catch their big break. Thirty years later they are still working to make their dreams of success a reality.

Good Hair-Funny and non-judgemental but also posed a through-provoking question: Why is white hair considered "good" and black hair not?

Food, Inc.-Made me become a vegetarian. Period.

Man On Wire-Exuberant and just a joy to watch!

Grey Gardens-Your mind reels watching the cousins of Jackie Onassis live in squalor and trying to figure out how they got their.

Capturing the Friedmans-Again, mind-blowing and thought-provoking look at a seemingly normaly family as they deal with allegations of child abuse.

The Cove-Eye-opening look at the slaughtering of dolphins in Japan.

I love docs. so it's hard to pick my favorites. I haven's seen the 7 Up series but want to watch them all. Great post!

LOVED American Teen and Mad Hot Ballroom.Actually, just did some work in one of the schools featured in Mad Hot Ballroom, with the teacher in charge of ballroom dancing. It's the one in Forest Hills, Queens.

Encounters at the End of the World is Werner Herzog's documentary about the South Pole and the people who live and work there. Incredibly beautiful.

I also love Moving Midway, which follows the filmmaker's family's attempt to literally move their 150 year old plantation house. Really interesting look at the impact of the Southern plantation on American culture and race relations.

I'm such a doc snob! Here are some of my suggestions: "Thin Blue Line," which is about a man who may or may not be wrongly accused of murder; "Fog of War," about former Secretary of Defense to JFK and LBJ, Robert McNamara; "Triumph of the Will," the infamous Nazi Party prpoaganda film; "Sleepwalking Through the Mekong,"about a Cambodian musician who visits her homeland after the Khmer Rough tried to kill off all similar musicians; "Home Movie," which looks into several quirky homes like one that floats on water; "Unknown Chaplin," which showcases footage of his work that was once though lost to a fire.

A few of my favorite documentaries are Very Young Girls (about prostitution in NYC), BOTH of the Paradise Lost documentaries were both moving and infuriating AND, of course, The Business of Being Born!

My list of rentals has just doubled. I also adored "Mad Hot Ballroom" - would like to see a little footage of what those kids are up to now. LOVE the idea of a monthy documentary club - must get that in the works.

Food Inc totally changed the way I eat too! I only buy the organic milk and meat now too and try to get as much local food as possible. If you enjoyed it, you should also check out Michael Pollan's books (he was interviewed in the movie too).

I am doc OBSESSED! You HAVE to watch The Horse Boy. Babies was awesome.

Other faves:

Grey Gardens. Born in Brothels. God Grew Tired of Us. The Business of Being Born. American Movie. I Like Killing Flies. Crazy Love. Jesus Camp. Sound and Fury. Valentino. Capturing the Friedmans (disturbing yet compelling). Every Little Step. Please Vote for Me. Grizzly Man. The September Issue. Promises. Trekkies. Confessions of a Superhero.

AH I could go on and on! So many of these are available on Netflix Instantly - which I love. Enjoy!

A couple really good documentaries focusing on sustainability and social issues...

Sweet Crude: the story of Nigeria's Niger Delta - the human and environmental consequences of 50 years of oil extraction, and the history of non-violent (and violent) protest.

Pirate for the sea: AMAZING! You have to see this. it is a biographical film of Captain Paul Watson, He organized early campaigns protesting the killing of seals, whales, and dolphins. He is amazing, controversial, and actually does something about illegal whaling etc. This documentary witnesses his latest campaigns and explores the personal and environmental history of this controversial marine conservationist.

I LOVE the Seven Up series. I think everyone should watch them. Also a big fan of Man on Wire, but felt very "meh" about American Teen. All of my recommendations have already been mentioned, but I'll list them again to give them a little more weight:

I really enjoyed the September Issue. And my boyfriend has Food, Inc. we jsut haven't gotten around to watch it. Have you watch the Cove? My boyfriend saw it and said it was amazing. It's about Japanese dolphin hunting and this ex dolphin trainer on a mission to stop it. I know I wouldn't be able to watch it bc I would cry through the whole thing. But if you haven't seen it yet here's a link to imdb about it: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1313104

Joanna, I just put together a list of movies about art/artists on my blog, the majority of them are documentaries! I've been watching them as I go and I recently found a new favorite...

The rape of Europa = so terrifying and absolutely fascinating... Hitler wanted more than to take on the world, he was an insane art thief. A lot of people don't know or remember that he was a rejected artist - his attempt to control the world with race happened with trying to control culture, too. You see the actual footage of the Louvre actually getting completely emptied of it's art and rushed to the chateaus in the country to protect them. You see the now grown woman who was a little girl who lived in the castle with her father who's job it was to protect the Mona Lisa and how they would peel back the red velvet covering the painting to see her smile... and so on! There are still THOUSANDS of pieces or artwork missing from the war that could come up at any time. I could go on.. I love this one!

I'll let you see the rest from the list - http://www.jennyvorwaller.com/blog/2009/03/movies-about-artartists/

And this one isn't from that list, but I adored it all the same -

God Grew Tired of Us.. SO amazing - the scenes of these African boys who are placed into american culture ..into pristine, well lit grocery store with perfect, ripe fruit in abundant piles is the most alien thing ever. You have to see it for that moment.

Thanks for this fab list! I happen to love Mad Hot Ballroom, Man on Wire and Spellbound.

Some others that are more serious-- Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples TempleGrizzly ManThe CorporationHell House

And lighter fare: Life After Tomorrow (a documentary on girls who played in the musical Annie!)Stolen (a documentary about stolen art)Helvetica (yes, the font)Maya Lin: A Strong Clear VisionHenri Cartier-Bresson: The Impassioned Eye

I recommend The Gleaners and I. That's a great documentary. I might also add Southern Comfort- though that one is also not for the faint of heart.

I must say Food, Inc. could've done a much better job though it gets the conversation started. For people who have yet to read Fast Food Nation or Omnivore's Dilemma and such, or who don't live in areas where "local" and "community" are not heavily emphasized, I can image it is eye-opening!... though it was not well rounded enough, only focused on a small segment of the organic market (Stonyfield!) and did not create a real sense of what people can do indivually to change the food system- other than eating organic or going to farmers markets. Those are important steps people can take, but there is so much more!

Oh, I love documentaries! I've seen almost all of these you post about Joanna and really liked them. A few others I enjoyed: Good Hair, Helvetica, Grizzly Man and The Business of Giving Birth, which you might like since you're pregnant!

oh p.s.!! I forgot to mention that I had never heard of Stranded and I'm rushing to go see it now because when we lived in Uruguay, we knew people who had worked with Nando and it was crazy to hear the REAL side of the story...!!! so I can't wait to see this one. Thanks again for the recommendations.

I LOVE documentaries! They are my favorite thing to watch. I find every single one fascinating even if it's a subject I'm not particularily interested in. Here are a few off the top of my head...Murderball - there's a scene with a little boy and a question he has about pizza that will choke up even the stone coldest.Wordplay - crossword fanatics! I found it interesting that a movie of said description could draw you in even though I am an avid crossworder( is that a word?)very well put together.Anvil - the Story of Anvil - a story about a heavy metal band that never makes it big. I have no interest in this genre of music but this doc. will make you feel a range of emotions even though at times you wonder if it's all a joke. I liked that. I felt pity and proud at the same time. The drive,tenacity and determination of the head of the band left me with a hopeful feeling for all things. I found that refreshing and at the end of the movie you'll say "WTF did I just watch?" but you'll feel good in a strange way.

I second (third?) Jane's comment about Stephen Fry's bipolar doc. He's also done a series where he roadtrips around the US that was highly entertaining. Most of my faves are already mentioned, but one of my very favorites is a French documentary from a few years ago called To Be and To Have (Etre et Avoir) about a one room school house in a small town in France, the teacher and his relationship with his students. It's remarkable.

OH! and I can't wait to see 'Helvicta' ! We are actually planning on having a 'Helvicta' party. Not sure how this will be planned but I have a few friends that are a lover of fonts and such so having a party around a 'font' movie just seems strange enough to make it fun ;)

It's about a family where the father and son are on trial for molesting their computer class that they taught in their basement. But the interesting thing is that one of the sons documents them during the trial at home. Lot's of home movies. I thought it was amazing and I don't think they did it...

Such great movies! Check out "Who the F&%k is Jackson Pollock" and "This Film is Not Yet Rated." The first is a fantastic story about a long haul trucker who stumbled upon a Pollock for $8. The latter is about the movie rating system and is equal parts interesting and disturbing.

Touching the Void is an AMAZING documentary. It is intense and full of emotion. I actually bought Deep Water for my husband based on your reccomendation (loved it!). I realized when it came in the mail that it's from the makers of Touching the Void, which we already owned. Both are must-sees!

One mini-doc that I saw recently that really moved me was a part of the HBO Miniseries called The Alzheimer's Project. There were a few parts to it - all good but most of it is scientific - but the first chapter of the series is called "The Memory Loss Tapes", which follows 7 people living with Alzheimer's. I highly recommend watching it. It's heartbreaking but SO so good.

One of my favorite documentaries is The Bridge. It's a year in the life of the Golden Gate bridge, and the mystery of why it draws people there to end their lives. Very moving footage, with interviews from friends and families of those who jumped.

I absolutely loved the documentaryRivers and Tides about the artist Andy Goldsworthy. It has such great overarching messages about the impermanence and ephemerality of his work and of life. I am making it sound a bit pretentious, but it is really quite poetic and magical.

I have seen most of these and like them all. but you MUST watch "to be and to have". as much as you love kids & france (and french-kids!), you would absolutely ADORE this film! definitely add it to your queue! :)

Great post; great suggestions! So many people recommend the cove, food inc and born into brothels. These are all things I would have eagerly watched a couple of years ago. But since having a baby, I just can't stomach that kind of stuff anymore. I would dissolve into a puddle of tears. I am very interested in the 7 up series. I'm fascinated by how peoples' lives evolve thru the choices they make along the way.

I'm dying to watch Man on Wire after reading the phenomenal book Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann. He weaves a wonderful web of stories that essentially all come back to the tightrope walker. I highly recommend it!

Oh how perfect! We've been on a documentary kick lately, so will have to add these to the list. Seven Up sounds right up my alley.

This week, we watched Herb & Dorothy -- about the unlikely art world darlings. She was a librarian, he was a postal worker. They loved art, but had little money, and had the biggest private collection of minimalist art in their tiny rent-controlled New york City apartment! I like the message that space and money shouldn't limit passion.

Me and the hubs loved Surfwise!!! Although the whole living together in one rv and not going to school part kinda made me uncomfortable... but other then that- a very compelling true life tale... i also LOVE man on wire, it was terrific! Great post!

(i've been silently watching your blog for months and could not live without it. actually, my husband and i just finished eating the aged cheddar and apple on raisin bread grilled cheese, but i added some goat cheese and loads of fresh dill, which worked well. )

I love going to the Sundance Film Festival here each year and seeing the short documentaries. I remember one especially about a beauty pagent in a Colombian womens' prison. It was so unique. I have no idea where you'd find those short films from the festivals but it'd be worth it if you could.

You HAVE to see SharkwaterIt is one of the greatest movies I have ever seen! It is about sharks, and shark hunting, and the devestation of our oceans.I learned so much from this movie and all the footage of the sharks is beautiful.everyone needs to see Sharkwater

I haven't seen any of these, except Food Inc., which I loved. Boyfriend and I are going to watch all of the Oscar-nominated documentaries this year, and that was one of them. The other we've seen so far is "The Cove," about dolphin slaying in Japan. You have to see it. I cried, and I signed a petition to hopefully end this practice.

There's one I've got to borrow from my local library. "Disconnected" is about three college students who decide to go without computers for one month. I see you can watch it for free on Hulu, too. Sounds really interesting! I also loved "Helvetica" and have "Objectified" waiting on my iTunes.

Fabulous list, and I am surprised so many people have suggested Food Inc. and not Earthlings. Earthlings is fabulous, directed by Joaquin Pheonix and just lays out the meat industry, puppy mills and all the other awful things that occur that most Americans have no idea about. I HIGHLY recommend it!

I'm a film festival programmer and I specialize in Documentaries. I'm so happy to see such an outpouring of female doc lovers on this blog! I absolutely loved My Kid Could Pain That, it still haunts me to this day, I want to know the truth! But, everyone seriously owes it to themselves to watch DEAR ZACHARY, as has already been suggested. I've seen A LOT of docs and have never cried as much as I did while watching Dear Zachary!

I watched a docudrama called Krakatoa: the Last Days and it was really incredible. Brings you right back to 1883 and the second greatest volcanic eruption in recorded history while explaining the science behind it all as well :)Oh! Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution is definitely worth watching as well!

I recently saw Convention about the 2008 DNC. I loved it even more than I thought I would, it follows all the people behind the planning of the convention and its so warming and makes you feel like you know them.

YES!!! I adore The Specials! The Specials were nominated for 2 Webby Awards: Best Documentary Series and Best Reality. They won Best Reality, and I am sooo thrilled. Everyone just falls in complete love with this young group of British housemates, most of whom have Down syndrome. Sam is my man -- the ladies man of the bunch. The joy and vulnerability of the group will just suck you right in.

"Random Lunacy" really, really stuck with me--even more than "Surfwise" did. It's the story about a man who decided that rather than live a conventional life defined by "stuff", he'd live off whatever he found, wherever he found himself. He was a father, foster parent, husband, circus ringleader and sailed the Atlantic on a barge made of garbage found in NYC.

Okay, haven't read all of these, so someone probably already mentioned them, but, A Man named Pearl is wonderful!!! Also, Young @ heart (you will laugh and cry) and It might get Loud, Herb and Dorothy, Not your typical Bigfoot Movie (it isn't), I could go on and on.

Man on wire is on my top five favorite movies of all time. It's amazing! I really want to watch all of these... they look so good. I was so glad Man on Wire won the Oscar, I was worried that it wouldn't for some reason!

I love documentaries, too! These recommendations are great. I've seen a couple remarks on "Dear Zachary" and "Anvil" (two VERY different moods!) and I would have to second those. A friend of mine made an excellent doc two years ago called "Break Up Date". There is a wonderful trailer for it on youtube.

Surfwise and Man on Wire are two of my favorites! Documentaries are my favorite kind of movie, so I can't wait to check out some of your recommendations. Here are three I've seen in the past year and LOVE:

Unmistaken Child -- unbelievable story of a Tibetan monk's search to find the reincarnated Lama he was a very close student of. Maybe my favorite documentary ever. So sweet, poignant, and thoughtful. I think you'll love it.

No Impact Man -- really interesting and inspiring story of a totally average guy and his wife and toddler who, for a year, go as absolutely low environmental impact as they possibly can. And they live in NYC.

Tyson -- who loves Mike Tyson and wants to hear the story of his life? ... ummm... yeah, that's what I thought too. But my brother saw this premiered at Cannes and was raving about it so much when he got back that I had to see it. Fantastic. Utterly blown away by this one.

Have you seen The Business of Being Born? Its one of my favorites too. I just watched it with a friend last night, it was the first time Ive seen it since I gave birth (at home) to my sweet lil baby guy six months ago, wow after you have experianced birthing a baby it really hits you alot harder than before. What a joy.